I bought this as part of a recent order and figured I'd describe it for anyone who couldn't find much detail on the web.

Shown below are the parts that come in the kit (x4). Cat's paw NOT included.

The strap has an over-center buckle and extends to a maximum (hook to eye) of exactly six feet when the handle is flipped to tighten the strap. The handle tightens the strap by about an inch after the length has been adjusted. The fixed end of the strap is sewn around an eye which has about a 30º bend in it (difficult to see in the picture). The bolt, washer and small nut are for fastening the fixed end to the trailer.

The separate metal bracket gets fastened to the pylon bolt using the larger nut, which is thin so that it can replace the existing one whilst using the existing bolt.

Problems:

1) The provided hardware for mounting the fixed end is not long enough to go through a 2" box section; it is for a single thickness of metal only. Not a big deal, but 2" box section is pretty common for the area this is intended to be fastened to. The catalog photo shows it bolted to the roller assembly, but the instructions indicate that it should go farther inboard than that.

2) the special narrow pylon nut does not fit my boat. My old '78 might have 1/2" thread nylon nuts on the pylons, but my '00 has 3/8" SS Nylocs.

3) The bracket for mounting to the pylon is simply butt-ugly with sharp edges.

So, if I can't use any of the hardware, it comes down to paying $21 for each of those nice straps. Then I have to buy $22 worth of climbing wall anchors for the pylons, longer bolts to mount the fixed ends, and either buy longer pylon bolts or grind the existing nuts thinner. This is not what I had in mind when I bought a kit, so as much as I like the concept it just might just have to go back.

Be careful with ratcheting tiedowns. I've seen (and fixed) more than a couple of hulls that had the support under the pylon damaged by having ratcheting tiedowns cranked down too tightly. All you need to do is hold the boat in place, not compress anything.

Use a loop of line around the sidebar and over the casting to hook the strap into - the clips in the kit are heavy, and as you said - full of sharp edges.

This is by far the best system to keep your boat on the trailer, but you can buy the straps by themselves (look for "bow tie down straps"), buy your own mounting hardware and use the loop described above and shown in the link here - viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13831

I'd seen that thread; nice setup. Looks like I may have to learn splicing. Used to do it all the time with twisted line, but never got into splicing braided. I suppose I could splice some twisted line straps just for that old-school effect.

Another option is the use of stainless shouldered eye nuts (due to the lateral loading I'd want the widest shoulder possible). They're smooth, not too heavy, but probably not available in Nyloc. Since this fastener isn't supposed to be very tight, I'd probably be relying on blue Loctite.

And of course the climbing wall anchor is an option also, but unless they are very thin I'm back to the thin nut problem again. Too bad the ones with the Hobie kit aren't right. When did that pylon bolt size change, was it when the corner castings changed in '95?

The straps themselves are very nice; I think they are BoatBuckle straps that are custom made for Hobie. IMO the over-center design is better than cam-buckle or ratchet, as it holds one adjustment forever: hook it, flip the lever, and it's exactly where you want it. Hobie selected the straps very well; it's the rest of the kit that's poorly thought out.

I have anchors already; I was asking about bolts that are unthreaded for the correct length. Haven't looked at the hardware store yet but most bolts I see are threaded for more of their length than the pylon bolts are. I can just use the bolts I have, and either grind them a bit thinner or use blue Loctite. At least one of them can be used without modification.

I know a guy who always kept his front straps at a fixed length so that he just hooked the front straps on, pushed the boat hard forward , and then tightened the rear straps. This is simple and it ensures that your boat is always at the same spot on the trailer.

I try to be tuned into things like sharp edges. Granted, it's pretty hard to get to the inside of the pylon but if the boat is flipped and you're climbing onto the lower hull you might find a way to touch it or slip and step on it. If I had my druthers, the bolts would be button-head cap screws with acorn nuts. The climbing anchors aren't nearly as sharp but I think the least sharp anchor would be an eye nut. I don't even like the sharp corners on the rudder bolts.

Fixed-length straps, heck yeah! I'm all over that; it's why I like these straps. Tell the crew to tie down and there's really only one way it can be.

Some water got into the box and I got some corrosion on the buckles, so I had to keep them. I was given some climbing wall anchors, which still have some sharpness to them so I will replace them with 'eye nuts' at some point. I bought longer SS bolts and ground them down a bit; they have more unthreaded length than the originals and I am currently using them with the original Nyloks. I also bought some 1/2" bolts to bolt the straps to the trailer crossbar. I haven't drilled the front yet, but I had an existing hole in the rear crossbar so I just installed those. Tightening the straps I saw this:

The pivot rivets are very loose, almost like there was a spacer in there that has deteriorated. They cock so far sideways that they are almost under tension. Carrying all of the load when the trailer hits bumps, I can't say I'm very enthusiastic about that. I am going to have to replace those rivets with something more solid, peen them over more, or something. They are solid for the most part with a hollow end that is rolled over. The other two straps, never used, are that way also.

I still use the tie downs that have a loop on one end that you wrap around the pylon and pull the strap through itself and than the other end had a long "J" hook that grabs the square tubing on the trailer. Now engage the cam lever and slide a oval ring over the lever handle and your done. They called these IMMI Tie Downs, part number 1790. I have used these since '89 on my 21SE and '85 on my 16. Very durable , simple to use and takes seconds to engage................

Remember to cover your boat once you get home and your equipment with last and last..........